by Forsyth C, Agudelo Higuita NI, Hamer SA, Ibarra-Cerdeña CN, Valdez-Tah A, Stigler Granados P, Hamer GL, Vingiello M, Beatty NL. The Lancet Microbe 2024, 100946. doi: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2024.07.009
Summary: As it disrupts patterns of human habitation and land use, climate change may affect the epidemiology of Chagas disease by influencing the distribution of vector and host species. The authors of this review used the distribution of the triatomine vector as a proxy for transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, in North and Central America and investigated the association of T cruzi transmission with climate change. They identified 12 relevant studies, 9 of which modelled the effects of climate change on the distribution of relevant vector species and found that global warming could sometimes favour and sometimes hinder triatomine distribution.
